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Senate Republicans Block Extension of Unemployment Benefits -- Just Because They Can

Below is a press release from the Office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

For Immediate Release

Date: Tuesday, July 20, 2010

CONTACT: Jim Manley, (202) 224-2939

REID ON GOP DELAY OF UNEMPLOYMENT SAFETY NET: “REPUBLICANS BETTER BE READY TOMORROW TO DEFEND THEIR POSITION”

Washington, D.C.— Nevada Senator Harry Reid made the following remarks on the Senate floor this evening regarding Republican delay of a final vote on unemployment benefits extension. Earlier today, Senate Democrats won a key cloture vote to move forward on this legislation that millions of unemployed Americans are depending on:

“I want everyone watching the proceedings tonight to again understand what the Republicans are doing. We just passed badly needed legislation to help 2.5 million unemployed. To show the lack of understanding and feeling and compassion of the Republicans, they're making us waste 30 hours. There are people who are desperate for this money -- desperate. And they're making us wait because that's what the rule of the Senate is.

“Now, I hope the American people understand how callous this is. People are desperate, can't make house payments, car payments, can't pay for kids' food. And they are having us wait for 30 hours after cloture's been invoked. We only need a simple majority to pass this bill now, but they're making us wait. I just can't articulate in strong enough feelings how unfair this is to 2.5 million people. So would the chair rule on my consent?

“Earlier today the Senate invoked cloture on the legislation to extend unemployment insurance benefits. As a result, debate on the measure is limited to 30 hours.

“Now, we can finish this 30 hours after this passed, sometime around 9:00 tomorrow night. If that gives these people over here [Republicans] some feeling that -- that 2.5 million people deserve this, then let them do it. I would hope we could come in the morning and get this thing done and so this bill could go on to the House, the house has to pass it and then to the President.

“Every hour that is delayed is more misery for 2.5 million people. The debate over whether it's paid for or not is over with, it's clear, all experts say that this money that is spent will return to us CBO says twofold. John McCain’s chief economic advisor says it will come back $1.61 for every $1 we spend.

“Now, if they think that they're getting even, with who? 2.5 million [unemployed] people because it passed? So I hope we can reach agreement to yield back some of the post cloture time so we can complete action on this bill at a reasonable time tomorrow. Upon disposition of the unemployment bill, the Senate will resume consideration of the small business jobs bill - which is good legislation we need to get to.

“I want everybody to understand, the Republicans better be ready tomorrow to defend their position. Because we're going to have people come during this 30 hours and show how ridiculous it is that we're having to wait for 30 hours. No amendments can be offered. Nothing can be done under that 30 hours except speeches.

“So I would alert my friends, come and explain to the American people how this 30 hours has helped the American people.”

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Cloture Votes, Filibusters, Obstruction -- Oh My!

From the wonderful folks at People for the American Way. Visit their site and see nifty charts illustrating the alarming trend below.

If it has seemed that Republican Senators have been expending tremendous amounts of energy for the sole purpose of slowing down the work of the Senate and the President’s reform agenda, that’s because they have.

A review of cloture attempts in past sessions of Congress reveals that Republican senators have gone to record lengths to use Senate rules with the goal of slowing down the work of Congress, often when they have no expectation of stopping legislation or even winning concessions.

So far, GOP foot dragging has forced the Senate leadership to file 67 cloture petitions and forced cloture votes on 38 occasions[1]. Those numbers, while high, aren’t yet on pace to break the record set by the GOP in the last Congress of 139 motions filed and 112 forced votes. But what is remarkable is that, of those 38 votes forced this year, cloture was invoked 34 times.

That means a full 89% of the time, the cloture vote did nothing but delay the inevitable—a huge increase from the previous high of 56%.

Moreover many of these votes didn’t just fail: they failed by such significant margins that no one, especially not an experienced vote counter like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, could possibly have expected they could actually pass. In fact, in a majority of cases, 65 or more Senators voted to cut off debate. In several cases the number reached into the seventies and eighties, and in one case 97 Senators voted in favor of cloture, but not before the maneuver chewed up valuable time.

Far from being a meaningless exercise, this effort to force unnecessary cloture votes has wasted an enormous amount of time. After cloture is filed it takes up to two days before Senate rules allow a vote on the petition. Then, Senate rules permit the Republicans to insist on an additional 30 hours of post-cloture debate. That means even when only a small minority of Senators actually oppose cloture, they have the ability to chew up days of the Senate’s time.

In 2010, the Senate will likely consider legislation addressing health care, global warming, the economy, immigration, and workers’ rights in addition to its obligation to confirm Supreme Court Justices, members of the federal bench and crucial administration officials. There’s plenty of work to be done, and time is already tight without needless intentional delay.

The Republican Senators should stop trying to grind the Senate to a halt and start working on the issues that Americans elected them to address.


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[1] - In 29 instances, cloture motions were withdrawn or otherwise not voted on. Even in these cases, cloture filings represent intransigence on the part of GOP leaders who could otherwise consent to end debate at a mutually agreed upon time.